Activity #1- Elevator Speeches


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Carolyn, Rowena, Dave

UDL is based on a set of principles that use technology to break the barriers of inflexible curriculum and maximize access to all learners.

Stacia, Mary, Merin



UDL is a wonderful way to reach all students regardless of their abilities and background. It allows teachers to be flexible with planning and strategies, as well as giving the students opportunities for individual expression. UDL enhances current curriculum with modern technology.


Suzanne, Carmen, Anne
UDL is a framework that facilitates rich content and skill based learning for all students. It allows teachers to provide students access to learning in multiple, differentiated and individualized ways. The ultimate strength of UDL is that is allows for flexibility with media and methods to break down barriers and create new opportunities for student success.





Universal Design is flexible paradigm in which the learning styles of the modern student. Students are the focus of instructional techniques. It meets the needs not only learning disabled students but all learners. UDL can harness the digital media and focus students on what is essential for 21st century success.

Rob Paul and Cynthia

Activity #2- Lesson Plan/Activity


Goals:
The student will be able to write a book review and present it through a multi-media application.

Methods:
  1. Each student will read a book of their choice.
  2. The student will follow a teacher provided outline of questions that must be answered about the book.
  3. The student will use these answers to create a written book review.
  4. The student will use Voki to create an avatar to present the book review.

Materials:
Individual student books
Book review outline
Laptops

Assessment:
Voki

Carolyn, Merin, Cynthia, Stacia- Love it, and while most kids will go crazy with the Voki, consider giving other options for the review: glogster, oral report, flip camera or cellphone camera, etc.



Activity #2
Dave and Rowena
Goal: Why do two parties break up? Why do Americans want to break up from England
Method: Start with video Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration to initiate discussion. Follow by all class discussion.In small groups, students will analyze the grievances in the Declaration of Independence and create a visual representation of them.
Materials: www.youtube.com/watch:v=uZfRaWAtBVg


Lyrics for the video at www.soomopublishing.com/declaration
Wordle of the Declaration of Independence (copies of the D of I)
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Assessment: Students will create their own music video or letter and propaganda poster . This should demonstrate their understanding of why the colonists separated from England. Students can also choose to do their response from the perspective of the British. Rubric will be used to assess projects.

Lesson Plan
Suzanne and Anne….going in from the back

Assessments
Fill in a graphic organizer (cause and effect to determine understanding of reading)
Summative assessments:
  • Write a paragraph/essay
  • Create a poster, podcast or five slide presentation

Materials
Leveled articles (per group)
Media (film clips)
Vetted websites

Methods
  1. Teacher introduction with media
  2. Students will read leveled articles and share with peers (poster main ideas/”bottom line”)
  3. Fill in a graphic organizer as they listen to other presentations (cause and effect to determine understanding of reading)
  4. Take a team quiz …immediate feedback on content.
  5. Take an online survey or written survey to determine personal carbon footprint.
  6. (Application of new knowledge) Choose two goals to lower your carbon footprint.
  7. Summative Assessment & Share with Parent (Signed Parent Letter)

Goals
  1. Learner will understand what a carbon footprint is, what causes it and determine their own carbon footprint and share this understanding with others.
2. Create two manageable goals to lower their carbon footprint.






Carmen and Mary
Goal:
Student will be able to identify a long a sound word using different resources.

Method:
Shared reading of a poem. The students will use wiki sticks to highlight long a words. Students will say the poem a loud and raise their hands when they say a long a word. Use chart paper and brain storm with children long a word families. Play a long a word sort game on computer/Smartboard to reinforce knowledge of long a words.

Materials:
long a poem
Chart paper
Wikki Sticks
Computers/Smartboard

Assessment:
Higher level students will write sentences using long a words. Middle level will find long a words in a story and list them. Low level students will match a long a picture to the correct word.

UDL Lesson from Paul and Rob



Activity #3

Dear Social Studies Department, Principal, Parents, State Legislators and Tax Payers,

A net generation student wants access to multiple means of information. They want to have fun while learning and want to be able to express themselves inmultiple ways. They also want the world to know what they think and want to knowwhat others are thinking as well. They don’t want to waste their time learningfor a particular test.

Paul S.


Mary

The five people in my school I would speak to about the net-generation would be:
Principal
First Grade partner
Library Media Specialist
BSI Reading Teacher
Resource Room Teacher
I would tell them about the UDL Model for learning to reach the net-generation. The net-generation is the children in our classrooms today. The net-generation is entrenched in technology and learns better through multiple means. No longer can we just lecture to them. They need to manipulate and create in order to learn. Technology is the net-generation’s access to the world they live in and it needs to be used more in our classrooms. We need to join our children in the net-generation.


To: Mr. Principal, Mrs. Superintendent, Mr. Supervisor, Mrs. Colleague and Mr. Governor

From: Rowena Gianfredi

Date: July 21, 2011

Re: Who are the Net Generation and how are they changing our world?

It’s important to understand how our students are changing…and how they will be changing us. No longer are they naïve to the world. They’ve seen the world on Google Maps; they’ve watched and heard from people across the globe on YouTube; they’ve created their own videos to show us who they are and what they know. They’ve created all this on their own phone…that phone may be “smarter” than many of the educators that walk our hallways. Why? Because that phone can adapt to changes immediately. There are many educators that are unwilling to accept the changes that are necessary.

Our students come to us with a thirst for knowledge, but they may not speak our language. I’m not referring to a foreign tongue. I’m referring to the language of technology. Our students learn differently, they rely on new devices and media to receive their messages. Not just text messages, but all forms of information. Let’s speak their language and get the devices that we need to carry these messages. Let’s learn to use new media so we can carry the messages to speak to our students in their language!! Let’s spend the money to upgrade our method of delivery.

Colleagues, Team Members, Principal, Inclusion Teacher, Superintendent

Who is the net generation? How are they changing our world?
The Net Generation is comprised of the students we face each day in our classroom. They are the kids that can multitask, know how to use technology before they can talk and, are enthralled with technology. They are interested in and enjoy getting their hands on any and all types of technology. They are changing our world because we need to be able to stay up to date with them and be able to teach them in new and interesting ways to keep them involved and vested not only in the class but also in learning.

Carolyn


  1. 1. Speech teacher
  2. 2. School principal
  3. 3. Literacy coach
  4. 4. Co-teacher
  5. 5. Occupational therapist

Dear colleagues as educators we need to be aware of the generation in our schools. They have become more technology knowledgeable. We need to be aware of their needs for more technological tools within the education system to reach all learns.
Carmen

Culminating Activity #3 Anne

To: 7th grade team teachers
Collaborative teacher
School psychologist
Principal
State Senator

From: Anne

Re: Who or what is the net generation and how are they changing our world?

The net generation is the most recent generation of children (in modernized industrial countries) who have grown up in the digital age. Before the age of one most have sat on their parents lap and clicked a mouse. They have been immersed in a digital world since before they were born (perhaps their digital ultrasounds were posted on their parents’ Facebook page). Because of this upbringing, research is starting to show, they learn differently. They are not content to sit in a traditional classroom and listen to a teacher or read from a textbook. They want to learn from multiple sources (preferably digital) and create. They like to jump from one topic to the next and do not have long attention spans. They see and learn about the world in a different way and their approach to things is changing our world. As educators, we need to help them embrace their fast-paced digital world appropriately. Their approach can help us change and define our own world, for the better.

CULMINATING ACTIVITY 3 – DAVID ALLOCCO

Who is the net generation?


This would be addressed to the Governor, the school Superintendent, school principal, an older social studies colleague, and my in-class support teacher.

The net generation is comprised of Digital Natives. They are, as Marc Prensky explains in his article “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” versed in the “digital language of computers, video games and the Internet.” The net generation is accustomed to receiving information fast, preferring visuals to text, and can multi-task. In other words, they learn differently from students of the past. “Every time I go to school I have to power down,” Prensky quoted one high school student in his article. Rather than creating a classroom environment that is “unplugged,” teachers, policies, and curriculum have to adapt to these learners. We need to use these technologies to support education. The new technological tools will allow teachers to reshape curriculum and create a fun learning environment. We simply cannot teach in outdated ways. I will give one quick example of what I mean by this. In addition to teaching social studies, I also serve as an advisor to a video production club. To best serve the club members, I wanted to resurrect our school’s defunct TV studio so that the students would have a place to film and edit. When inspecting the TV studio, I noticed that the cameras were outdated, the shows were all recorded on VHS decks, and nothing was digital. While most of the equipment functioned, it was not practical to use them. There was no need for the students to learn how to use the equipment because this was yesterday’s technology, not the technology of today. In order to make the studio function, we have to change the equipment. Teachers, administrators, and policy makers should look at their schools today in the same way I saw the TV studio. Are you using outdated methods? Are we preparing these students for today and for the future? By addressing the students’ learning processes, we will better prepare them for the future and help them develop a love of learning.

To Administrators, supervisors, department colleagues, students and parents
Net Generation learners are students not defined by technology but how they engage, collaborate and socialize with the community. Students of the net generation are digital natives. This means that they grew up in an environment surrounded by emerging technology. They are highly connected to the WWW not only threw home computers but through mobile devices. When a net generation comes to school they often have to “power down” due to the lack of digital methods presented. These students are multi-tasking, computer on, multiple windows open to browse, iTunes playing in the background, texting, and whatever else might be occupying their time.

We as educators, Digital Immigrants, need to be fluent in the students language to educate them in a way that they learn best. Multiple methods, multiple tasks, multiple options.